JP2010217359A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device having one direction as user's access direction and enabling cleaning a unit without removing the unit. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming device includes a cleaning member 62 for cleaning the unit arranged in this image forming device, an operation member 50 for moving the cleaning member through a wire 52 connected with the cleaning member, and a travel direction converting means 54 with which the wire is engaged to convert travel direction. The operation direction of the operation member is made different from the travel direction of the cleaning member by the travel direction converting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of being cleaned from a user access direction without removing a unit even if the apparatus has a user access direction in one direction.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus in which a corona charging device (scorotron) is disposed below a photoconductor to protect the photoconductive layer of the photoconductor from ozone and nitrogen oxides, a cleaning member is brought into contact with the grid and the discharge wire. There has been proposed a cleaning member that is moved behind the grid cleaning member so that it can be cleaned even if foreign matters such as toner fall from the grid to the discharge wire during cleaning (Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-311691 A

However, in a full front operation image forming apparatus that allows all operations such as paper cassette and cartridge replacement, panel operation, etc. to be performed from the front of the main unit and no access from the side, the user's access direction is one direction. The actual situation is that they are pulled out and cleaned, and the user also cleans the LED and laser exposure apparatus with the cover wide open.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to clean an image forming apparatus of a full front operation in which the user access direction is unidirectional without removing the unit from the user access direction.

In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, a cleaning member that cleans a unit disposed in the image forming apparatus, an operation member that moves the cleaning member through a wire connected to the cleaning member, and the wire engage with each other. A moving direction converting means for converting the moving direction, and the moving direction converting means makes the operation direction of the operating member different from the moving direction of the cleaning member, so that the unit is cleaned without removing the unit from the access direction of the user. It becomes possible.
Further, according to the present invention, since the cleaning member is connected to the winding means and is rewound by opening the operation member, the unit can be easily cleaned.
Further, according to the present invention, the unit is disposed perpendicular to the user access direction, the operation direction of the cleaning member is the access direction, and the direction in which the cleaning member moves is a direction perpendicular to the access direction. Therefore, it becomes possible to clean without removing the unit from the access direction of the user.
Further, according to the present invention, since the unit to be cleaned is at least one of a corona charger, an exposure unit, and a static eliminator, each unit can be easily cleaned. .
Further, according to the present invention, each cleaning member of the unit to be cleaned is moved by operating one operation member, so that each unit can be easily cleaned.

It is a figure explaining the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the cleaning member of the charging device of this embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram explaining cleaning of a scorotron. It is detail drawing of a winding part.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1A and 1B are views for explaining an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is a side view of the apparatus with its lid opened, and FIG. 1B is a top perspective view. In the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, the user's access direction is one front side (full front operation), and the photoreceptor 10, the charger 20, the exposure device 30, the process unit 40, the developing unit 42, the toner cartridge 44, and the like. Each unit is arranged such that its axis is orthogonal to the user access direction. The operation member 50 is for operating a cleaning member (details will be described later) for cleaning each unit. The operation direction A is the same as the user's access direction. Each unit is perpendicular to the direction and coincides with the axial direction of each unit, so that each unit can be cleaned.

2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining a cleaning member of a charger having a charging wire, in which FIG. 2A is a perspective view and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view. The charging wire 22 of the charger 20 that charges the photosensitive member 10 includes:
The cleaning member 62 of the cleaning unit 60 contacts and slides along the charging wire to clean the charging wire 22. The cleaning member 62 is made of a brush, a brush, a cloth, or the like.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the cleaning of a scorotron charger, which is a corona charger, as the charger 20. A cleaning member 62 contacts the scorotron charger and moves along the scorotron charger to clean the discharge wires and grids. One end of the cleaning member 62 is the winding portion 70.
The other end is connected to the connecting wire 52, the connecting wire 52 is connected to the operation member 50, and the direction changer 5 made of, for example, a cylindrical pin or a pulley.
4 is converted to the axis direction of the scorotron charger at a right angle. The operation direction of the operation member 50 matches the access direction of the user on the front side of the image forming apparatus. When the user pulls the operation member 50 toward the front side, the connecting wire 52 is changed in direction by the direction changer 54 and cleaned. When the member 62 is moved along the scorotron charger and the user releases the operation member, the winding wire 74 is rewound by the winding unit 70 and the cleaning member 62 is returned to its original position. In addition to the charger 20, a cleaning member is connected to at least one unit, such as at least an exposure unit or a static eliminator that neutralizes the surface potential of the photosensitive member 10, in addition to the charger 20. It is also possible to perform cleaning of a plurality of units simultaneously by one operation. In this case, the moving stroke of the cleaning member is adjusted to the length of the unit having the longest cleaning portion, for example, the charger.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the user's access direction is an image forming apparatus with one front side direction (full front operation), but the user's access direction is not limited to this.
The user access direction may be one direction other than the front side, or may be two directions including the front side. Thereby, it becomes possible to clean without removing the unit from the access direction of any user.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the operation direction A of the cleaning member by the direction changer 54 is the same as the access direction of the user. By this operation, the cleaning member moving direction B is perpendicular to the user access direction and Although the direction coincides with the direction, the operation direction A is not limited to this. The operation direction A and the cleaning member moving direction B may be different directions other than a right angle.
Thereby, it becomes possible to clean without removing the unit from the access direction of any user.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the winding unit. The winding part 70 is a mainspring 7 made of a spiral spring.
2 has a structure in which a winding wire 74 is connected, and when the user pulls the operating member 50 with a force larger than the force of the mainspring 72, the cleaning member 62 is pulled by the connecting wire 52, and the winding wire 74 is wound. When the wire 74 is fed out and the cleaning member 62 moves and the user releases the operation member 50, the winding wire 74 is rewound by the force of the mainspring 72, and the cleaning member 62 returns to the initial position.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Photoconductor, 20 ... Charger, 22 ... Discharge wire, 30 ... Exposure device, 40 ... Process unit, 42 ... Developing part, 44 ... Toner cartridge, 50 ... Operation part, 52 ... Wire rod, 54 ... Direction changer, 60 ... cleaning unit, 62 ... cleaning member, 70 ... winding part, 72 ... winding wire, 74 ... mainspring.

Claims (5)

A cleaning member for cleaning a unit disposed in the image forming apparatus;
An operation member that moves the cleaning member through a wire connected to the cleaning member;
A moving direction converting means for engaging the wire and converting the moving direction;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation direction of the operation member and a movement direction of the cleaning member are different by the movement direction conversion unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is connected to a winding unit and is rewound by opening the operation member. 2. The unit according to claim 1, wherein the unit is disposed orthogonal to a user access direction, an operation direction of the cleaning member is the access direction, and a direction in which the cleaning member moves is a direction perpendicular to the access direction. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unit to be cleaned is at least one of a corona charger, an exposure unit, and a charge eliminator. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each cleaning member of the unit to be cleaned is moved by operation of one operation member.

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